Mayweather vs. Ortiz: Fighting Ortiz a Lose-Lose for Floyd

Floyd Mayweather Jr can register a first-round knockout in Saturday's pay-per-view welterweight title fight and it won't do anything to boost his career to the next echelon.

Why, you ask?

His opponent is not Manny Pacquiao.

Victor Ortiz, Floyd's opponent on Saturday night, is 10 years younger than Mayweather. However, Floyd is still the overwhelming favorite. The only person that poses a challenge in pre-fight odds is Pacquiao.

On Saturday, "Money" will be making his first appearance in the ring in 16 months, but if he's trying to improve his legacy he might as well stay home. Wins over anyone but Pacquiao and Rocky Balboa won't matter to the general public.

Mayweather claims he's the best pound-for-pound boxer of all time. Looking at his 41-0 record it's hard to argue that fact, but one addition to the winning column is missing. Numbers aren't a tell-all in any sport and until Floyd beats Manny, his career is similar to Dan Marino's...it lacks a Super Bowl.

Mayweather and Pacquiao not fighting is horrible for boxing as a whole. When people talk about what happened in the ring, more often than not they're referring to MMA or WWE these days. Boxing has descended so far in recent years, with most attributing the fall to the lack of an elite heavyweight champion.

The welterweight division has tried to cover for the lack of excitement at the top, but the lack of the aforementioned blockbuster has doomed boxing.

Even if it's not Mayweather's fault they don't fight, he will always have that asterisk on his career. A soft spot, if you will. Floyd's career will not rise among the ranks of the all-time greats without a fight against the Filipino.

Face it Floyd. Your career would be better served having lost to Pacquiao then not having fought at all.